A few months ago, my friend Heather Llewellyn approached me about taking part in a new series of events and fundraisers for Equitas Health called Art for Life: On the Town. We sat with our friend Chris Hamel of Gateway Film Center and began to think about what kind of unique programming we could provide that would engage people all while helping to raise money and awareness for HIV/AIDS.

Pretty immediately, I knew I wanted to do something to celebrate the life of Howard Ashman, one of the brilliant minds that helped create Little Shop of Horrors, The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, and Aladdin. Howard died in 1991 at the age of 40 due to complications of AIDS.

A Celebration of the Life of Howard Ashman will take place at the Gateway Film Center this Saturday at 1:30 pm. Every penny from every ticket goes to further the mission of Equitas Health in fighting HIV/AIDS, through education, awareness, testing, and advocacy.

From some classic clips to some intimate performances from my friends Que Jones, Ricky Locci, and Jordan Shafer, I hope you will consider joining me for this special afternoon.

Honestly, my ‘lil Disney heart is so excited to celebrate a man who has had such profound impact on my life. <3

in an early year of a decade not too long before our own, the human race suddenly encountered a deadly threat to its very existence. And this terrifying enemy surfaced, as such enemies often do, in the seemingly most innocent and unlikely of places.

Excited to share some news that I just read about! Kings, Queens, And In -Betweens will be featured in the LGBTQ Community Day at The Ohio History Connection this Saturday!

LGBTQ Community Day and Smithsonian Magazine’s Museum Day Live!

Sat., Sept. 23, 2017 • 10 a.m.–5 p.m.
Ohio History Center, Columbus
Sept. 23 is a free museum day when you download a Museum Day Live ticket
(excluding film).

Celebrate Ohio’s LGBTQ history with free museum admission through the
Smithsonian Magazine’s Museum Day Live! initiative. LGBTQ Community Day
is part of the Ohio History Connection’s Gay Ohio History Initiative
(GOHI) project designed to preserve, collect and share the stories of
Ohio’s LGBTQ community by digitizing materials that represent the LGBTQ
experience in Ohio. We will also be sharing Ohio’s LGBTQ past through a
display of current GOHI collection items, special curator talks and
exhibitors from Ohio LGBTQ organizations. Sign up to have up to three
items digitized here!

September 23rd can be a FREE admission day thanks to the Smithsonian
Magazine’s Museum Day Live!, an inititive in which participating museums
across the United States emulate the spirit of the Smithsonian
Institution’s Washington DC-based facilities, which offer free admission
every day, and open their doors for free to those who download a Museum
Day Live! ticket.

Film: Kings, Queens and In-Betweens, 2:30
Beginning at 2:30pm, we are partnering with Equitas Health for a special
showing of Kings, Queens and In-Betweens a nationally recognized
documentary film that explores the thriving Columbus drag scene through
the compelling stories of 8 performers. After the film, stay for a panel
of performers in the film as they discuss drag, gender and life as a
performer.

Admission for Kings, Queens & In-Betweens:

$5 can be purchased individually or as an extra add on to Community Day
admission (movie admission will be free for Ohio History Connection Members)

Purchase your admission to Community Day or Kings, Queens and
In-Betweens or both! HERE

Schedule of Events

All guests are welcome to celebrate Ohio’s history with these activities

Craft Station: Proud Flags & Rainbow Octopuses • All Day (while supplies
last)
Feeling crafty? Learn about the many flags of the LGBTQ movement and get
hands on making your very own rainbow octopus.

Ohio LGBTQ Community Organization History • 10 a.m.-2 p.m.
Come learn about the history of LGBTQ organizations across Ohio and the
resources they provide to their communities.

Collection Connection: Gay Ohio History Initiative • 10 a.m.-2 p.m.
Stop by and talk to one of our curators to see the objects that we
currently have in the Gay Ohio History Initiative collection.

Manuscript Madness: Gay Ohio History Initiative • 10 a.m.-2 p.m.
Take the elevator to the 3rd floor reading room to discover some of the
photographs and printed materials in the Gay Ohio History Initiative
collection.

Digitizing History • 10 a.m.-2 p.m.
Schedule an appointment to have your history digitized by our team of
experts! Drop ins are allowed on a first come, first serve basis for any
slots not already scheduled. Sign up to have up to three items digitized
here.

Challah! Food Truck • 11 a.m.-1:30 p.m.
Hungry? Challah! will be serving up lunch at the main entrance. Seating
and vending to help you enjoy your meal are available on the Plaza level.

Echoes in Time Theatre • 11 a.m., 1 p.m., 2 p.m. & 3 p.m.
11 a.m. & 2 p.m.: Natalie Clifford Barney. Join us as we take a look
into the life of Dayton native, poet and gay rights activist Natalie
Clifford Barney.
1 p.m. & 3 p.m.: Crash of the Airship Shenandoah. Listen as an onlooker
recalls the day the Shenandoah fell from the sky.

In Partnership with Equitas Health, a special showing of Kings, Queens &
In-Betweens • 2:30 p.m.
Through the compelling stories of 8 performers in the thriving drag
scene of Columbus, Ohio, Kings, Queens & In-Betweens dives into the next
frontier – the often misunderstood topic of “gender” itself, making a
complex topic approachable for mainstream audiences. Join us for a panel
of the performers featured in the film as they discuss life on and off
the stage. There is an additional $5 fee for admission to the film.

Admission for Community Day events (excluding film) and Ohio History Center:
Adult: $10
Youth (6–12): $5
Senior (60+): $9
Member & Child (5 & under): Free
Download a ticket for Museum Day Live! and receive free admission to
Community Day events and Ohio History Center.

First, I am so excited to help celebrate and commemorate the first 5 years of one of my favorite organizations, Besa! The fun begins at 6 pm at Strongwater Food and Spirits! AND Jeni Britton Bauer and I are your camp counselors! Do good for the greater good!

After, I will be at Union Cafe with a fantastic promo event! Will & Grace returns next week to TV, but before Will, Grace, Karen, and Jack come back, we are throwing a party! Come win some incredible swag and giveaways and prepare yourself for the return of TV’s most fabulous sitcom on September 28! The show will start at 10 pm and feature Selena T West, Bianna Reyonce, and Hiliana Perez!